Before finalizing the landscape plan for your privacy screen of shrubs and trees -- whether it be a hedge or a loose border -- there are some other factors to consider. One factor in shrub selection to consider, in addition to height, is the amount of sun this part of your yard gets. Sunlight requirements for flowering bushes can be hard to meet, if you have a lot of shade. As mentioned on Page 2, yews will tolerate some shade, as will Canadian hemlock trees (Tsuga canadensis), andromeda shrubs (Pieris japonica), azaleas and rhododendrons and viburnums. But you will certainly have more options if the area you've chosen for building a privacy screen is sunny, and this article focuses on shrubs intended for areas receiving at least 6 hours of sun per day. Most flowering bushes require this much sun.
Design considerations will also influence your shrub selection for building a living privacy screen, including:
- The form of the shrub.
- The texture of the shrub's foliage or bark.
- The color provided by the shrub, be it through the foliage, the fruit, or -- with flowering bushes -- the blooms.
Tall Flowering Bushes for a Privacy Screen: Blackhaw Viburnum
Blackhaw viburnum (Viburnum prunifolium) is similar to the shrub, Hawthorn in the way that it grows except it has no thorns. This deciduous shrub yields white flowers in May, which become an edible fruit at harvest time. Fall color is offered not only by these bluish-black berries but also by the leaves. Dark green foliage morphs to purple to reddish-bronze to a crimson in fall. It achieves a height of 12-15' and a spread 8-12'. Zones 3-9.
Intermediate Flowering Bushes for a Privacy Screen: Rose of Sharon
Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) is a flowering shrub, also known as althea, that can reach a height of 8'-10' with a spread of 4'-6'. These bushes profit from pruning. Blooms can be red, pink, blue, purple or white. Rose of sharon works well in shrub borders, because of its upright form. A row of these shrubs standing shoulder-to-shoulder forms a colorful privacy screen. Zones 5-9. For more information, please consult my plant profile on rose of sharon.
Small Flowering Bushes for a Privacy Screen: Compact American Cranberrybush Viburnum
Compact American cranberrybush viburnum (Viburnum trilobum 'Compactum') has a dense, rounded growth-habit, making it ideal as an unpruned shrub for loose borders. White blooms in May and June are succeeded by red berries that attract birds. Its foliage starts out glossy and green, but turns reddish-purple in fall. Height 4'-5', spread 3'-4'. Hardy to zone 2.
There is good reason for the inclusion of two viburnums here. Viburnum flowering bushes provide year-round interest. Their spring profusion of white to pink flowers give way in summer to large leaves that often exhibit an intricate texture. Red to purple foliage and colorful berries adorn the fall landscape, while a dramatic branching structure provides visual interest during the winter.
On Page 4 we'll consider evergreen shrub choices for a privacy screen....
